iLASIK vs. LASIK: Which Is Better?

More than two decades ago, laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis, or LASIK, surgery was approved by the FDA to provide patients with the option of safe surgical treatment of refractive errors, resulting in permanent vision correction. Today, well over 700,000 LASIK surgeries are performed in the US each year.

Utilizing a laser to carefully reshape the cornea, LASIK improves how the eye bends light onto the retina, making vision crisper, brighter and clearer. LASIK can be used to correct blurriness, near sightedness and farsightedness, in eyes with or without astigmatism.

Some patients may want to permanently improve distance vision, others close-up vision. Some may elect to have monovision (also called blended vision), which is the enhancement of each eye’s natural strength. With monovision, the dominant eye is
optimized for far vision, and the other for near vision. Your brain blends these two magnifications together, just as it does with your natural vision.

Which vision enhancement you choose depends on your lifestyle goals, current vision, and certain eye conditions, all of which your eye doctor will go over with you. Together, you will decide which optimization choice is best for you.

With all correction types, 90-95% of LASIK patients achieve 20/40 – 20/20 vision or better, and some report having the best vision of their lives.

While the vision correction is permanent, no surgery can prevent the continuation of normal aging of the eye, which typically results in a gradual reduction in close-up vision (age-related presbyopia). Still, the correction is often enough that nearly all patients are able to reduce their dependence on prescription lenses, needing only reading or driving glasses during those activities for years to come.

Who Is Eligible for LASIK/iLASIK Surgery?
Both LASIK and iLASIK come with certain mandates for optimal results. Qualified candidates must:
. Be age 18 or older
. Have stable vision, with no dramatic changes in the past year
. Have good eye health – no infections, cataracts, glaucoma or other serious issues
. Not have chronic dry eye, as it may be worsened by surgery
. Not be pregnant or nursing

LASIK requires that you have sufficiently thick corneas, whereas iLASIK is available to many people with thin or thinning corneas.

LASIK or iLASIK: Which Is Right for You?
Now that you’re sick of fumbling for your glasses, dealing with contact lenses, or squinting into the haloing glare of bright lights, and are considering a permanent solution, you of course want to know which is better: LASIK or iLASIK.

Both of these outpatient procedures start with a comprehensive eye exam to assess your eye health, take measurements, and review your lifestyle goals and correction options. Your eye doctor will explain everything in detail, and thoroughly answer any of your questions. This interview/exam usually takes about two hours.

The procedure itself takes only a few minutes per eye. First, numbing eyedrops are applied, making the process completely painless. Then your eye is gently stabilized. Next, your ophthalmologist creates a tiny doorway in the surface of the eye called a corneal flap, allowing access to corneal tissue for laser
reshaping. Once the cornea has achieved a more desirable roundness and symmetry, the flap is
carefully put back in place. Your eye is covered with a sterile patch. You can go home shortly after surgery.

Home care includes prescription eye drops to prevent infection and resting your eyes for the remainder of the day. Most patients wake up the next day to remarkably clearer, brighter vision, with improvements continuing through the coming days and weeks.

The iLASIK Difference
Here’s what sets iLASIK apart from traditional LASIK vision correction surgery.

With LASIK, the corneal flap is created using a specialized blade called a microkeratome, and a laser is used to remove excess or misshapen corneal tissue. While this procedure has been used for many years on millions of patients, it requires the cornea to be thick enough to accommodate the bladed incision. Even in younger people, clinically thin corneas are common, especially among women. In all people, corneas can thin with age.

While both LASIK and iLASIK use eye mapping to ensure accuracy and safety, iLASIK utilizes advanced wavefront technology to create a unique, 1,200 data point map of your cornea that captures how light is directed to your retina. An advanced FDA-approved high-speed laser is used to create the corneal flap, making the surgery exceptionally exact and 100% blade-free. The precision and controlled depth of the laser incision make it perfect for people with thinner corneas. iLASIK is customizable to each patient,
giving it ultimate corneal reshaping and corrective capabilities.

Since both procedures cost about the same, it makes sense to choose the superior precision, customized vision correction and ultimate safety of iLASIK.

Why Doesn’t Everyone Choose iLASIK Over LASIK?
Because iLASIK is a newer technology, not all eye surgeons are specifically trained to perform it, and others may not have extensive experience with it. When it comes to your eyes and vision, you obviously want an ophthalmologist with a very high level of training and surgical experience. More eye doctors are trained in LASIK than iLASIK, making LASIK a more common – and somewhat less sophisticated – procedure.

Why Choose Lake Eye for iLASIK?
Lake Eye’s Dr. Vinay Gutti has performed many thousands of eye surgeries and was the area’s first eye surgeon to master the iLASIK system. Going beyond the standard eye-mapping involved in traditional LASIK, Dr. Gutti utilizes FDA-approved iDESIGN, an advanced wavefront analysis system that captures even tiny imperfections, and generates a precise, one-of-a-kind map of your unique eye.

Vinay Gutti, MD – Board-Certified iLASIK, Laser Cataract, Lens Replacement and Corneal Surgeon

Dr. Gutti is highly experienced in the use of the hyper-fast iFS femtosecond laser, for the thinnest and most exact corneal incision without blades or cutting. Dr. Gutti uses live topography scanning to guide a state-of-the-art excimer laser to gently treat imperfections and improve the shape of the cornea.

And, unlike other providers, Dr. Gutti is happy to schedule your laser surgery for the same day as your consultation and eye exam, so there’s no need for separate appointments.

From evaluation to recovery, iLASIK is the most advanced laser vision correction surgery in the industry. Most people awaken to dramatically clearer, crisper vision the very next day, and can drive themselves to their first follow-up appointment the day after surgery.

If you’re ready to limit or eliminate your dependence on glasses or contact lenses, call your local Lake Eye for more information about iLASIK or to set up an appointment today.

Lake Eye Associates

352-632-2020

LakeEye.com